LIVE WEBCAM WITH DEER AND WILDLIFE IN PENNSYLVANIA

More info: This is one of three cameras set up by Pixcams There is an automated feeder which delivers feed 3 times a day. The feeder puts out a small amount of cracked corn and sweet feed which attracts many species of wildlife. Most activity is seen generally in the morning and evening.

Although antler growth is evident on male fawns, the button-like protrusions are not prominent. A white-tailed deer buck will start to grow it's first set of antlers at around 10 months old. From then on, it will then grow and shed a new set of antlers each year. Typical antlers curve upward and outward to point forward, and consist of two main beams with individual tines growing upwards from them.

If the yearling buck inhabits an area with poor food conditions, his first set of antlers may be just "spikes" – antlers consisting of single main beams only. Antler development is closely related to nutrition so it is also possible that an older buck may also have spikes if its diet is poor.

Antler growth is a complex process driven by hormones and dadlight length. Antler tissue is the fastest growing tissue known to man, having the capacity to grow an inch or more per day. Annually, antler growth begins when the days are lengthening – between the spring equinox and the summer solstice (mid-March through mid-April). Antlers grow from the tip and are full of thousands of blood vessels and have a covering of soft velvet.

As the summer progresses and day length begins to decrease, testosterone production increases. This triggers mineralization or hardening of the antlers. The soft tissue is transformed directly into bone by the deposition of minerals. Antler-hardening takes about a month starting in mid-July and ending in mid-August, after which time, the velvet dries up and is rubbed off by the deer against trees to help in the removal process. Injuries to a deer's antlers during the velvet stage will result in permanent deformations to the antlers that are known as "sticker" or "kicker" points.

After the breeding season, testosterone levels drop off and antlers are shed in late winter or early spring. The process then starts all over again.